Checking in guests on-site for an event is most often accomplished by event staff manually. When presented with a ticket or other authorization device for entry, an entry or gate agent must independently authenticate the validity of the presented ticket by looking for unique, physical cues on the ticket that self-authenticate its validity (e.g. watermarks, holograms, etc.), and/or search for the ticket presenter's name in a list of authorized guest names. The agent then checks in the guest-updating and editing the guest list in paper copy or an Excel or other database spreadsheet by hand or editing the information on a computer.
The manual check-in process is time consuming because it requires the agent to carefully inspect each ticket to verify its authenticity and/or look through a list of guest names. As the event size grows, the list of names grows and, along with it, the time required to search through the list.
Manual check-in is also inefficient and unreliable because agents must be trained on visual inspection techniques, and even with proper training, there is a significant risk of human error in visual authentication. Furthermore, physical authentication cues on tickets can often be forged or duplicated. Adding forgery resistant technology, such as holograms, may reduce forgery, but introduces additional costs to the production of each ticket.
Manual check-in also presents difficulties in accurately tracking ticket utilization across multiple entry agents. Manually updating the list of authorized names with guests who have already checked in creates additional risk of human error.